Disclaimer these characters are just borrowed from JK Rowlins for the time being.

Chapter thirty three

Harry had just finished telling the family about his time in the bishop’s study and the bishop’s reactions and they were all laughing, grandmother Puckle had tears of laughter streaming down her face as she pictured the pompous jack ass she had once hated. Granddad Puckle had fallen from his chair as he too pictured the bishop getting the fright of his life. Even Mr Granger was laughing at what Harry told them and the way he told the story.

Hermione had been laughing along with the rest of the family when she noticed Harry was no longer laughing, he had fallen silent and had a slightly glazed look in his eyes, she knew by what her instincts told her that there was something happening to him, she stared at her husband and tried to hear his thoughts, as she heard the first words coming from him she knew they were not his words.

Everything stopped and fell silent around her as she stared at Harry, someone or something was talking to Harry, ‘Hermione welcome child’ the voice said as Hermione found herself standing with Harry in the middle of a beautiful meadow. Wonderful wild meadow flowers and grasses spread out as far as she could see; there was a clear summer sky with a shade of blue that reached down to the horizon where the blue was tainted with just a little pink.

Harry spoke as Hermione suddenly appeared standing next to him “So, who are you and what do they want with me this time?” he asked the old man standing in front of them, “and why all the melodramatics?” He waved his arm to indicate their surroundings.

“You think I went a little too far?” the old man asked as he looked around, “well Arthur always said I over did things, said the same thing when I built Camelot.”

On hearing these words Hermione found her voice “Merlin, The Merlin?”

“In the flesh dear, well as near as I can get to real flesh given my current status,” the old man chuckled at his own little joke.

“Harry its Merlin,” Hermione exclaimed as though Harry had not heard a word.

“Yes but why is it Merlin? What have the fates in store for us now?” Harry asked looking at Merlin.

“Oh yes, Oh I begged for this one, I’ve never seen anything like the panic you caused, everyone running around trying to figure out what to do, I tell you it was hilarious,” Merlin answered not really making anything clear to the young couple.

“Er, would you like to elaborate on that, and maybe even tell us what you are talking about?” Harry asked sounding a little frustrated.

“What? Oh yes that, your little thing with Bishop Granger, so funny I’ll be laughing at that one for quite some time to come,” Merlin chuckled as though he had answered the question.

“Oh for pity’s sake Merlin please tell us what you are here for,” Hermione asked rolling her eyes at the old wizard.

“Didn’t I say, oh how remiss of me, well Harry my dear boy, nobody was prepared for it you see, you were not supposed to see the bishop, its not in the plans you see, so every one panicked, all running around like headless chickens, especially the Time Masters,” Merlin told them, giving them some idea of what he was talking about.

Harry’s eyes widened at the awful thought he had “Please don’t tell me I have to go back and start again,” he said looking as though he would explode at any moment.

“No, no, no, don’t you see, now what was it you called him, oh yes ‘the big guy in the sky’ he’s really pleased about it, he was saying something about you changing things back to the way they should have been, though I’m not exactly sure what he meant, I mean who could ever know what he is thinking,” Merlin told them.

Harry breathed a sigh of relief “For a moment there you had me worried,” he said taking hold of Hermione’s hand.

“Nothing to worry about Harry, in fact I’m actually here to tell you that you two are not having ‘A’ baby,” Merlin chuckled again as he took a look at the young couple.

Hermione looked as though she was about to cry when she heard what he said but Merlin just carried on talking regardless.

“No you see, what I am to tell you is, now what was it? oh yes I remember, I’m here to tell you that you are having twins, and ‘He’ says that they will be very special twins, I fail to see why the healer never noticed, I mean you would think with two of them it would be easier to tell, Oh yes I’m also to tell you to leave that inn that you are sitting in, make a port key and leave immediately, yes that was the most important part, leave the inn,” Merlin finished, and as he finished speaking Harry and Hermione found themselves back at the table with those around them still laughing.

Hermione without thinking and working on pure instinct as she was distracted by thoughts about twin babies, grabbed the nearest beer mat and made a portkey to the first place that popped into her head, Harry stood and raised his voice above the laughter and in a very authoritive voice ordered them all to touch the beer mat, everyone obeyed his command without a thought and a second later they were all whisked through time and space to arrive at the gates of Hogwarts.

Harry with years of experience with port keys stayed on his feet when they all landed with a thump, he reached out and supported Hermione making sure she was ok and did not fall over, before he helped his mother in law and then Mrs Puckle to their feet.
Looking around Harry wondered why they had not gone home to Potter House, ‘Why are we at Hogwarts love?’ he asked confused as to why his wife had chosen the school.

Hermione was as confused as Harry for a moment then she remembered she had heard Merlins voice say Hogwarts just before she made the port key. Merlin had wanted them here for some reason.

She watched absentmindedly as her parents looked at a pile of ruins, they were probably wondering why she had brought them here, granddad Puckle was looking the most confused of them all, just seconds ago he had been enjoying a beer now he found him self standing somewhere that looked like he was on top of a mountain with a huge pile of rubble in front of him.

‘Merlin, Merlin has just told me I’m having twins’ Hermione thought as her mind began to work through what having twins would mean, it was not long before Hermione was in a world of her own thoughts as she worked out all the implications, all the changes they would need to make to their plans and to their house.

Marjorie Puckle was staring open mouthed at the castle of Hogwarts, she could only just see it as it wavered and drifted slightly in and out of focus, it was all blurred but she remembered her great grandmothers description of the best school of magic in the world, Marjorie also knew she should not be able to see it, it was just seen as a pile of rubbish by all Muggle’s.

“Hermione,” she said very slowly and carefully as though everything would vanish if she said it faster “Hermione, I can see it, I can see Hogwarts, it’s vague and out of focus but I can see it.”

Just as Marjorie finished speaking they all heard the unseen gates open and Albus Dumbledore appeared in front of them, he was obviously surprised to see them as his eyes widened when he saw them, as he looked with recognition at Harry and Hermione and then at the small group of people, his eyes widened even more as he looked closely at the face of grandmother Puckle, then took a closer look at her.

All eyes turned to look at the old headmaster as he stared at Marjorie as though he had seen a ghost. The only one not looking at him was Hermione who was still seriously thinking about the revelation by Merlin that she was having not just a baby but she was actually having twins she was so engrossed she didn’t even realise Dumbledore was there.
It was Harry who recovered from the surprise appearance of Albus first, then looking from the headmaster to his grandmother in law Harry wondered what was happening why was Albus staring at her so intently?

“Twins Harry, he said I’m having twins, do you realise what that means,” Hermione suddenly said turning to look at Harry, Harry was staring open mouthed at Albus, Hermione looked to see what he was looking at then she blinked her eyes then blinked again wondering where Albus had come from.

“Twins, who said you were having twins,” Mr Granger asked in a shocked voice as he looked from Albus to Hermione in one swift move.

Helen Granger rushed to her daughter’s side and pulled Hermione close to her and hugged her tight, “Twins are you sure?” she asked.

David Puckle stood with his head turning and looking from one person to another, and for a moment he wished that someone would tell him where he was, and how he had got there, or even pinch him and wake him up, all these shocks and surprises were beginning to make him think he had gone quite mad.

Looking around he found a nice large flat comfortable looking stone so he sat down on it. He decided he would sit and would wait here until he woke up, which he had no doubt he would do soon.
Looking around he watched amazed as what he thought was total madness went on around him.

His wife Marjorie was staring into the distance and declaring she could see a pig with warts.
His granddaughter Hermione was seeing someone that was obviously invisible, or not even there, who was telling her she was having twins.
Harry was standing looking like he had just swallowed a huge fly, and was absently chewing it.
Richard Granger was asking who was having twins.
Helen Granger was looking very happy about something but she was crying at the same time.
And to top it all off, he David Puckle himself was seeing a very odd looking old man with a very crooked nose and the longest beard he had ever seen, he was seeing the old man who had just popped up out from know where and had called his wife Daphne, with a puzzled look on his face.

‘I’m not here, I’m safe at home in bed and all this is just some crazy unrealistic dream and when I wake up everything will be normal again’ he thought.

Closing his eyes tight David Puckle tried hard to wake himself up, he opened one eye a fraction and found he was still stuck in his crazy dream, so he closed his eye and squeezed his eyes shut tight ‘I have to wake up’ he repeated over and over to himself.

He was still repeating it two minutes later when Helen gave him a gentle shake, opening one eye he looked at his daughter.

“Its real isn’t it, all these crazy things, they are actually happening aren’t they?” he asked knowing the answer.

Albus Dumbledore stood and listened as Harry and Hermione told him and the family what had happened at the inn, and how they had arrived out side the school for witchcraft and wizardry, the Grangers and Mr Puckle looked at the large pile of rubble.

“You went to school here?” Mr Granger asked “but I thought you said it was a magnificent castle.”

“It is Richard, like I said before I can see it, it’s not clear but I can see it, I can see Hogwarts,” Marjorie told them.

Hermione listened intently when Albus Dumbledore asked her grandmother to describe what she saw; her description was indeed a completely true picture of the castle.
Hermione, Harry, and Albus were at a loss to explain why a Muggle like Marjorie could see the charmed castle, she might well be seeing it only vaguely but seeing it she was.

Dumbledore took the decision to allow the Muggles into the castle and he enabled the special charm that allowed for such occurrences as a visit from Royalty or more recently a visit from a politician.

The gasps of surprise from Hermione’s family were still being made when Albus Dumbledore head master of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry welcomed them to the school, then led them through the gates and up the long road to the castle its self.